Sunday, January 31, 2016

Luke 4:22 (MSG): Recognizing Christ in our Midst


All who were there, watching and listening, were surprised at how well [Jesus] spoke. But they also said, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son, the one we’ve known since he was a youngster?” (Luke 4:22)


I chose Eugene Peterson’s The Message this week with some deliberation.  In looking at various translations of this Scripture, I wanted the translator to convey what is implied in the text: The Jews in the Nazareth synagogue saw Jesus as a common son of an everyday carpenter. They watched this child grow up and learn his trade at the workbench of Joseph.  They would have known Jesus as the “youngster” down the road, and Peterson captures that in his translation.


People who know Jesus from his upbringing in Nazareth are impressed with his return to town, interested in the stories of his ministry and healings, and “surprised” by his reading of Isaiah 61:1-2 and proclamation during the Sabbath celebration. But their own preconceived ideas of who the Messiah must be, a warrior king from outside of Galilee, clouds their vision of who the Messiah really is, the humble son of a local carpenter -- the “youngster” from down the road. This reality, however, confronts the traditional religious pride of self-knowledge. They cannot get past their preconceived notions and humble themselves. Christ chose a life of simple humility, and people rejected him because of it.


My own pride, busyness, and narrow understanding are reflected in the voices of rejection among this local crowd. How would I have reacted in that synagogue? Would I, too, have followed the crowd in driving Christ to the outskirts of Nazareth, intending to push him off of the cliff?


God emptied Himself of all rank, riches, and notoriety to live among us as a humble, common man. We should embrace this simple way of Christ in our own lives. We must break down the barriers of our own expectations and pride and embrace the beauty of Jesus’ magnificent simplicity. And when we see the least likely among us, or, as Jesus says in Matthew 25:40, “the least of these,” we remember the presence of Jesus in front of a furious crowd looking to cast him off a Palestinian cliff. Let us not, in our pride and preconceived notions, reject others but embrace them with love and compassion, imitating the humble, welcoming way of Christ.


I pray that God grant us the grace to imitate the humble simplicity of Jesus in our everyday encounter with others.


Let us keep each other and our special intentions in prayer this week.  


May you all be blessed and encouraged in the love and peace of Christ.  

Stan

Sunday, January 24, 2016

Romans 5:3-4: (NLT): Trials and God’s Blessings

Romans 5:3-4: (NLT): Trials and God’s Blessings
“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance helps develop strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation” (Romans 5:3-4).

A friend of ours recently went through a difficult divorce.  Betrayal and cheating, secrecy and surprise, and difficulty and defeat were all emotions she experienced.  As a witness to her trials, I noticed a few things. First, there was an initial sense of hopelessness and anger. After time, however, she became less angry and developed a sense of perseverance, strength, and confidence: She had to carry on and be strong for her 12-year-old daughter. And she did. Fast forward two years and she met a man who is kind, loving, and treats her and her daughter well.  Happiness and trust once again reign in her life. Her situation now, according to the visible fruit of their relationship, far exceeds that of her life before the trial she bore.

Life doesn't always work out as it did for our friend, but we must have faith in God’s plan. Our “problems and trials . . . help us develop endurance.” Sometimes in the thick of our trials, however, God’s blessings are hard to see or even imagine. But when we look with the eyes of faith, hope, and love, God’s presence is made manifest.


Let us keep each other and our special intentions in prayer this week.  


May you all be blessed and encouraged in the love and peace of Christ.  


Stan

Sunday, January 17, 2016

Mark 15:15 (TLB): Adopting a "Christ Way" of Thinking

Mark 15:15 (TLB): Adopting a "Christ Way" of Thinking
“Then Pilate, afraid of a riot and anxious to please the people, released Barabbas to them. And he ordered Jesus flogged with a leaded whip, and handed him over to be crucified.” (Mark 15:15)

Pilate is blinded by his desire to maintain political power and avoid rioting among the crowd. He clearly knows in his conscience that Jesus is innocent, for in the verse preceding this one, Pilate questions whether Jesus has done anything wrong.  Pilate, in essence, knows in his conscience that Jesus is innocent of the crime for which he is charged.  Nonetheless, Pilate cooperates with the religious leaders’ false accusations and condemns Jesus to a brutal, torturous death by crucifixion. The question we ask is “Why?”

When we act on our worldly perceptions; try to please crowds, family, friends, and colleagues; and silence our moral conscience, we make a grave error of choice. Pilate models this in Mark 15:1-15. And it is Pilate’s self-serving choices and disregard of conscience that contrast with what Jesus models earlier in Mark’s gospel (Mark 14:32-36) when he prays to the Father in Gethsemane, “Not what I want, but what you want.”

We should strive to avoid what Pilate models in the above verse and, instead, imitate the mind and heart of Christ. How does this look? We should try our best to pray, contemplate, and listen to the “still small voice” of God within us before we act. Sometimes, however, we are put on the spot, and contemplation is not a choice, but even then, if we develop a Christian sense of things and, through grace, adopt a “Christ way” of thinking, we will make choices that first consider the love of God and neighbor. Pilate, in contrast, considers only himself and his perception among the populace. This is a common trap for all of us that we can only avoid through faith and total surrender of self to Christ.

Let us keep each other and our special intentions in prayer this week.  

May you all be blessed and encouraged in the love and peace of Christ.  

Stan

Sunday, January 10, 2016

John 3:30 (NRSV): Let Jesus Increase

John 3:30 (NRSV): Let Jesus Increase
“He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30)

In chapter 3 of John’s gospel, John the Baptist is confronted by a member of the Jewish community who has a question about baptism.  He asks why Jesus is baptizing nearby when it is John’s ministry to baptize (see John 3:25-30).  John the Baptist says something that highlights the humility he witnesses to the world: “He must increase, and I must decrease.”

Humility is a shining witness to Christ in the world, and when we look around, expressions of humility warm our hearts. Nelson Mandela, for instance, was one of the most humble world leaders. When staying at fancy hotels around the world, Nelson Mandela insisted on making his own bed. And when he visited Shanghai, China, a place where it was an insult to the staff if someone did not allow them to clean and take care of their guest, he arranged a meeting and sat down with the cleaning staff.  Mandela took the time to explain why it was necessary for him to make his own bed, and he emphasized that he did not want them to be offended by this. According to his friend Jesse Duarte, “[Nelson] didn’t ever want to hurt people’s feelings. He never really cared about what great big people [thought] of him, but he did care about what small people thought of him.”

As faithful Christians, we are ambassadors of Christ.  Our witness in the world points others to and makes clear the path of Jesus (Isaiah 40:3). When people notice anything about us that is right, good, and humble, our response should be that of John’s: Jesus’ presence makes our hearts leap with joy (see John 3:29 and Luke 1:44). Jesus wants to be the focus and goal of our every moment. In order to increase Christ in our hearts, self-will and self-focus must die.  When we focus on loving God and neighbor, Jesus increases in who we are, what we do, and how we influence those around us.

Let us keep each other and our special intentions in prayer this week.  

May you all be blessed and encouraged in the love and peace of Christ.  

Stan

Sunday, January 3, 2016

John 6:63 (NLT): God’s Spirit and Word

John 6:63 (NLT): God’s Spirit and Word
The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. (John 6:63)


Oswald Chambers, in his classic Christian devotional My Utmost for His Highest, writes:
Once, the Bible was just so many words to us . . . then, suddenly, the words become spirit and life because Jesus re-speaks them to us when our circumstances make the words new. That is the way God speaks to us; not by visions and dreams, but by words. When a [person] gets to God, it is by the most simple way—words.


What is it about the words of Christ that can have such an impact on us at one point in our lives and at other points mean very little? This mystery is an amalgamation of our free choices and the presence of the Holy Spirit in us. If you think about it, the Holy Spirit’s presence is a radical thing: The Spirit we receive is the same Holy Spirit in Acts 2 that comes like wind and tongues of fire, shaking the foundations of the earth, causing each of the Apostles to speak languages foreign to their own.  It is the same Spirit, moreover, that fills the Apostle Peter as he stands up to preach to and baptize 3,000. We have that same Spirit, and this truth is amazing! Sometimes, unfortunately, we choose to ignore the soft nudges of the Spirit, and our lives take formative turns.

When I think about the Spirit and impact of God’s word in my life, I recall my first Communion in April 1980.  I was a lector during the Mass and read from Luke 19:1-10. It was the story of Zacchaeus, the “short in stature” tax collector, and his immediate conversion through Jesus’ invitation. As an eight-year-old, I vehemently read and and tried to memorize the passage so that my delivery would be poised and practiced. That scriptural passage made a lasting impression on me, especially to an eight-year-old who needed a step-stool to reach the towering ambo. Time passed, life’s circumstances and choices redirected me, and, although still blessed in many ways, I lost interest in God’s word. Many years later I had a conversion, and these same words of Jesus bore an immense impact on me again. The lofty ambo came rushing back, and I remember Christ’s invitation to a sinful, small man. The Spirit was calling me to accept that invitation, and I joyfully responded.  

It is a mistake, however, to attribute conversion to my own efforts. God is always there, patiently waiting, as he waits with each of us at every moment. The Holy Spirit urges us to listen to and act on the words of Jesus, for His words are “spirit and life.” God’s grace is an invitation, however, and not a forced move.  We must choose God and say yes much like Samuel does in 1 Samuel 3:10: “Speak, for Your servant is listening.”


Let us keep each other and our special intentions in prayer this week.  

May you all be blessed and encouraged in the love and peace of Christ.